First African American Astronaut to Walk in Space Promotes Education

First African American astronaut to walk in space visits Baton Rouge, promotes education!

Dr. Bernard Harris received a warm welcome at a science camp in Baton Rouge Tuesday morning.

In the science community, he’s a celebrity. He’s the first African American to walk in space, a feat he accomplished in 1995. Now, he’s the CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), a group trying to get more kids interested in those difficult educational fields.

“I can’t tell you how many communities I’ve been in where I walk in the door and people say, ‘I didn’t know we had African American astronauts,’” Harris said. “We not only have African American astronauts, but Hispanic and Latino and we have women who are astronauts in the program.”